Business News Daily

Many South Koreans rent out their homes during the Winter Olympics

The Olympic rings is seen in Hoenggye town, near the venue for the Opening and Closing ceremony ahead of PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea.

With the Winter Olympics underway in South Korea, residents in the country’s Gangwon province are set to earn more than $2 million from renting out their homes to visitors, according to Airbnb.

Gangwon is set to house more than 9,000 travelers in Airbnb-listed homes during the games, the short-term rentals company said at a press conference in Seoul last week. There were about 4,000 Airbnb listings in the province, the company added.

On average, people booked accommodation for three nights and paid about $170 a night, the firm said. The costliest listing on Airbnb’s website, as of Feb.14, was more than $400 for a one-night stay in Gangwon province.

The median income for residents from renting out their homes during the games was predicted to be about $260, according to the firm. In total, hosts in Gangwon were set to earn about $2.1 million, Airbnb said.

The Winter Olympics end on Feb. 25, and most of the events are held in Pyeongchang, a county within the Gangwon province.